Stock Market & Financial Investment News

Online threat to malls pushing retail properties out of CMBS, FT saysThe proportion of retail properties being put into commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS, has slumped in recent years as the threat of online shopping and tougher competition has led some forecasters to call for up to 15% of U.S. regional malls to close over the next five years, according to Financial Times. Real estate investment trusts that invest in malls include Simon Property Group (SPG), General Growth Properties (GGP), Macerich (MAC), Retail Properties of America (RPAI) and Equity One (EQY). Reference Link

Simon Property investing $250M in renovating The Galleria in HoustonSimon announced a $30M renovation of Houston Galleria's luxury wing to complement the previously announced construction of a new flagship Saks store, the addition of 110,000 square feet of new retail space and the creation of a 14,000 square foot, architecturally appealing, free standing retail building. In total, Simon is investing $250M at The Galleria.